All about Frankston Australian Clay Target Club

Facilities:

The club boasts excellent infrastructure to support its activities, including:

• Club Rooms: These feature a large hall, office, kitchen, bar, toilets, and showers, making them suitable for both club events and private functions.
• Ample space for shooting, with dedicated grounds for various disciplines.

Ranges and Disciplines:

FACTC is known for offering a diverse range of clay target shooting disciplines, providing multiple layouts to accommodate them. These include:

• Down The Line (DTL): This is one of the most common trap disciplines. The club has 6 DTL grounds. In DTL, shooters stand 15 meters behind a single trap house, which throws targets away from them at varying angles within a 44-degree arc. Shooters are allowed two shots at each target.
• ISSF Trap (Olympic Trap): The club has 2 ISSF Trap grounds. This is a more challenging discipline where targets are thrown from 15 traps located in a trench in front of the shooting stations. The targets are faster, travel further, and at wider angles than standard DTL targets. Shooters must hold their gun down until the target is called.
• Skeet: FACTC has 4 Skeet grounds. Skeet involves shooting at 25 targets from eight different stations arranged in a semi-circular layout. Targets are released from a "high house" and a "low house" at either end of the semicircle, either as singles or doubles. Shooters are allowed one shot per target. The club offers both standard Skeet and ISSF Skeet (Olympic Skeet), which requires the gun to be held down until the target appears.
• Five Stand: The club has 1 Five Stand layout. This is a compacted form of Sporting Clays, typically with five shooting stations. It utilizes multiple trap machines (6-10) to present a variety of targets, including standard, midi, mini, battue (flat), and rabbit targets (rolling along the ground), thrown as singles or pairs.

Services and Programs:

The Frankston Australian Clay Target Club is committed to introducing new participants to the sport and supporting its members:

• New Member Induction and Safety Course: This is a mandatory first step for all prospective new members. It involves a verbal briefing on safety, club rules, and regulations, followed by a practical session where participants, under the supervision of a licensed instructor, shoot a round of 25 targets. The focus of this session is on safe firearm handling, not on accuracy. Club shotguns, ammunition, and ear protection are provided. This induction is a prerequisite for club membership.
• Membership: The club provides guidance on the membership application process, which is necessary for individuals whose genuine reason for obtaining a firearms license is for sport/clay target shooting. The safety induction is valid for six months for new membership applications.
• Lessons and Coaching: Coaching is available for both novices and more experienced shooters, including juniors, to help them improve their technique.
• Competitions: The club conducts regular DTL, Skeet, and ISSF Trap shooting competitions each month. They also open the grounds for members to practice at nominated times.
• Corporate and Group Events: While not explicitly detailed as a separate public service, the club's facilities with a large hall and kitchen suggest they are capable of hosting private functions, potentially including corporate or group shooting experiences.

The Frankston Australian Clay Target Club plays a significant role in the Victorian clay target shooting community, offering comprehensive facilities and programs for all levels of shooters.